While boating, soft drinks, food and snacks are consumed from time to time. In some instances, containers, wrappings, etc., are thrown on the flooring of the boat or disposed of in a plastic trash bag. However, the wind and the agitation of the boat from hitting waves can cause the trash bag and its contents to fly away if not secured in some manner to the boat. Furthermore, refuse can, on occasion, fly out of the open mouth of the trash bag or out of the boat and litter the waterway. A list of prior patents, which may be of interest, is provided below:
PAT. NO. Inventor Date D286,217 Waun et al. 10/14/1986 D303,305 Deacon 09/05/1989 D341,236 Gasca-Salas 11/09/1993 960,451 Vicary 06/07/1910 4,669,689 Jones 06/02/1987 4,705,249 Edwards 11/10/1987 4,984,759 Perlant 01/15/1991 5,201,446 Martin 04/13/1993 5,362,153 Lu 11/08/1994 5,524,762 Shafram et al. 06/11/1996 5,639,051 Surbeck 06/17/1997
Several devices have been patented which are directed to trash bag holding devices for plastic bags having hand loops wherein the trash bag holding devices are designed to attach the hand loops to the trash bag holding device for securing the plastic bags thereto, such as, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,051, by Surbeck, entitled "TRASH BAG HOLDING DEVICE FOR PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS WITH LOOPED HANDLES"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,759, by Perlant, entitled "CONTAINER SUPPORT WITH IMPROVED BAG HOLDING MEANS"; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,689, by Jones, entitled "BAG HOLDER." U.S. Des. Pat. No. 303,305, by Deacon, entitled "BAG HOLDER HOOK" illustrates an ornamental design of a bag holder hook which supports a bag from the hand loops. Most of the aforementioned trash bag holding devices, which couple thereto trash bags, stretch open the mouth of the plastic trash bag.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 341,236, by Gasca-Salas, entitled "BAG HOLDER" and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 286,217, by Waun et al., entitled "REFUSE BAG HOLDER" illustrate an ornamental design of a bag holder wherein the bag hold maintains the mouth of the bag open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,762, by Shafram et al., entitled "DISPOSABLE LITTER BAG SYSTEM" discloses a bag holder having a clip for holding a bundle of tear-off bags. Each bag of the bundle has a flap adjacent the opening of the bag wherein the clip receives such flap for holding the bundle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,249, by Edwards, entitled "TRASH BAG HOLDING DEVICE" discloses a trash bag holding device which clamps to a wall of the trash bag wherein the mouth of the bag remains open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,153, by Lu, entitled "LITTER BAG FOR AUTOMOBILES" discloses a litter bag for receiving therein a plastic bag. The litter bag has a zippered compartment for storing therein a roll of plastic bags. The litter bag has coupled thereto a strap which is secured under the seat of an automobile and another strap shown coupled around the support rods of a head rest. Thereby, the litter bag is supported on the back surface of the seat. The upper edges of the litter bag are resilient to maintain the mouth of the litter bag normally closed. In operation, an upper edge of the plastic bag is clipped between the upper edge of the litter bag and a side flap.
Although generally pertinent to the invention, the "resilient" upper edges of the mouth of the litter bag of Lu is quite different in structure from the resilient elastomeric inlet mouth of the trash receptacle of the present invention. More specifically, the resilient mouth of the litter bag is not disclosed as being resiliently elastomeric. Furthermore, the resilient mouth is not designed to securely couple the litter bag to a trash bag holding device via the collapsible elastomeric properties of a resilient elastomeric inlet mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 960,451, by Vicary, entitled "BAG HOLDER" discloses a bag holder which serves to hold the mouth of the bag open by means of an adjustably held expansible bag receiving member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,446, by Martin, entitled "FRUIT PICKER'S SUPPORTED CONTAINER" discloses a container supported against the user's body. The container comprises an unfolding skirt which is released via two straps for opening the bottom of the container. Thereby, the fruit in the container may be emptied from the container.
As will be seen more fully below, the present invention is substantially different in structure, methodology and approach from that of the prior art trash holding devices and trash receptacles coupled thereto.